MARTIN CAMPAIGN STATEMENT ON RUSSIAN BOUNTY MATTER
SIERRA VISTA, AZ – July 14, 2020
Good afternoon. Recently, it has been brought to the nation’s attention that our adversaries in Russia have allegedly sought to place a bounty on the lives of our troops forward deployed in Afghanistan. While there is still a great deal we’ve yet to learn and much of the intelligence is being disseminated and discussed at the highest levels, I wanted to speak to all of you about where I stand and how I, as a veteran of the War in Afghanistan, view this matter. There is a great deal more to be known on the issue and we are not simply relying on the pundit class, many of whom have little to no experience in the realm of wartime intelligence.
Often times, unverified intelligence and information is gobbled up by enterprising and scoop hungry journalists anxious to break a major story on the War. Frequently, there was little regard for the veracity of the information or interest in the consequences if said information was likely to pose a danger to the health and welfare of our troops. In the case of any information involving our adversaries in Russia, the appetite for this kind of information is nearly insatiable with what is clearly, for many of them, an agenda against our President. It is clear that for the likes of CNN and MSNBC, possible damage to President Trump and his campaign overrides any duty to truth or the interest of our troops and their well-being.
Until more is known, this will be our only statement on the “bounty” issue. As always, we pray for the well-being and swift return of our forward deployed forces upon the successful completion of their mission, May God bless our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines and may God continue to bless the United States of America.
